Madonna Sells Out...Soho House Grouse...Trash Talk

Sign Of The Times: Madonna Sells Out
Don’t believe the giant sign in Times Square that says Madonna’s six dates at Madison Square Garden are sold out. Ticketmaster.com still lists top-price seats ($320) for all of her June New York shows as well as two later dates at the Meadowlands. And tickets are going for half off face value on eBay. Madonna’s spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, insists concert sales are swift. “It is possible that a very limited number of seats were put back into the box office, released by management,” she says. “But trust me, Madonna tickets are being scalped on eBay for $4,000.” As of press time, there were no tickets for $4,000—or even half that amount—for Madonna’s MSG dates on eBay.

Soho House Grouse: Investor Lockup
Between the rats and the tourists, bunking at any of the trendy new meatpacking-district hotels is starting to look like a less-than-glamorous experience. A Soho House investor invited friends back to her room there last week to show off her fancy bathtub. “She puts her card in the door and rams into it like a linebacker,” says one friend. “She said, ‘The door is a little tricky—you have to throw your body into it.’ ” The investor had apparently been using the football move every time she wanted to get inside—but it didn’t work this time. The friend suggested that the battery on the door lock needed replacing, but management paid no attention. Finally, two hours later, the faulty battery was replaced. The guest also put money in the safe, which she couldn’t open. “They are crazy incompetent,” gripes the investor’s friend. “It’s supposed to be the chicest place to go, and nothing works.” “There was a problem on one lock with one room,” insists Soho House spokesman Tim Geary. “We’ve [since] bought some machine that resets the electronic locks and guarantees that any room can be opened anytime.”

Book Deal: Agent to the StarsMort Janklow (whose clients include the Pope, Danielle Steel, and Jackie Collins) would like to sell his company—perhaps to a larger agency where he can continue to control his business but gain a strategic alliance and a handsome profit. According to publishing sources—including a big agency that was approached—Janklow has tried to sell but was rebuffed because his asking price was “astronomical.” “He’s always tried to get other agencies to buy it, but he assumes it’s worth more than perhaps it is,” says one source. Two friends of Janklow’s also confirm that he has an interest in selling, but say that this has been a longtime ambition and should not be taken as a sign that he wishes to retire. Janklow, 74, denies that he wants to sell. “It’s just ridiculous,” he says. “It’s not part of the plan.”

Trash Talk: Cuisine & Art
If you hear people talking about “the trash at Le Bernardin,” they may not mean what you think. From June 16 till July 16, the four-star restaurant will be exhibiting photos by famous French photographers Pascal Rostain and Bruno Mouron of the trash they pilfered from garbage cans of celebrities including Madonna, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Marlon Brando, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Michael Jackson. The photos sell for $6,000 each. Having surveyed photos of the stars’ discarded pizza and cereal boxes, chef Eric Ripert says, “I thought we’d find that more of them would be on Atkins.”